Dance

Rock the Ballet

Pop-rock ballet makes for pure entertainment from Rasta Thomas’s Bad Boys

Rasta Thomas’ Bad Boys of Dance have come to town and swapped tights and Tchaikovsky for snug black trousers and an unashamed pop-rock soundtrack. New York-based ballet dancers they may be, but there’s not a whiff of neurotic Natalie Portman about them…

Fringe 2011: Five dance shows based on true-stories

Real life events provide inspirational for several Fringe shows this year

Falling Man. Who can forget the horrific image of a man falling to his death from the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks? This haunting solo by Dundee-based dance company Smallpetitklein was inspired by the ubiquitous photos capturing the…

Circolombia bring Urban show to Edinburgh Festival

South American acrobats and anecdotes

Their lives may have started in adversity, but when the performers of Circolombia step on stage at this year’s Fringe, it’s as fully fledged professionals. All the members of the troupe grew up on the streets of Cali in Colombia, facing a daily round of…

Interview - Muirne Bloomer and Emma O’Kane of The Ballet Ruse

Ballerinas swap the barre for the bar

The origins of The Ballet Ruse, by seasoned Irish dancers Muirne Bloomer and Emma O’Kane, are simple. ‘In 2009 we were both single and decided to make a groundbreaking piece about dating,’ remembers Bloomer. But things took a turn in the studio. ‘We…

Agnes and Walter (A Little Love Story)

A Walter Mitty-inspired dance performance that reclaims the power of daydreams

Poor old Walter Mitty. Since James Thurber published the Secret Life in the 1930s, his name has become synonymous with deranged fantasising. However, a newly-established dance company has decided to rescue him from the sniggers of history. ‘Something…

Dance Marathon - Edinburgh show where audience provides the action

3-hour long participatory show inspired by They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

It’s over three hours long, inspired by that celluloid study of Depression-era desperation They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, and you, the audience, provide the majority of the action. Doesn’t sound like a great night out on the surface, but Dance…

Forgetting Natasha tackles dementia via dance and digital animation

Multimedia and memory on the dancefloor at 2011 Edinburgh Festival

‘What would happen if you didn’t have memories?’ asks Heather Eddington, artistic director of dance film company State of Flux. ‘You would almost disappear, because essentially that’s what we base ourselves on – what we’ve done, where we’ve…

Soy de Cuba brings Havana dance, music and song

The sound of contemporary Cuba visits 2011 Edinburgh Festival

With influences from South America, Spain and Africa dating back centuries, it’s fair to say Cuba is a melting pot of styles. So it stands to reason that the latest music and dance sensation to come out of the Caribbean island is equally diverse.

Rock the Ballet incorporates multiple dance styles

Ballet gets a rock and pop makeover at 2011 Edinburgh Festival

If the word ballet leads you to thoughts of starched white tutus and tight buns, then Rock the Ballet is here to disabuse you of that notion. For although there will indeed be tight buns on stage, they’re considerably lower down than your average prima…

Swimming With My Mother a tender mother and son dance duet

2011 Edinburgh festival show from Ireland' CoisCéim Dance Theatre

David Bolger, director of Ireland’s double Fringe First-winning company CoisCéim (Gaelic for footstep) Dance Theatre, is back with a show that promises to resonate with tender, loving and far from soggy memories. Bolger grew up by Dublin Bay: ‘I was…

Project Y

Annual summer programme by contemporary youth dance company Y Dance

From the Shetland Islands down to the Borders, the prospect of spending a summer with Project Y entices young dancers from all quarters of Scotland. Now in its sixth year, this unique programme, run by Y Dance, gives 16-21-year-olds a chance to work…

Brazilian dance highlights at Edinburgh 2011

Now and at the Time of Our Turn, Parallel Memories, My Voluntary Punishments and Another Cappadocia

Long known for its rich dance tradition, Kelly Apter finds Brazil’s contemporary dance companies responding to all aspects of the country’s diverse culture

Dance highlights at 2011 Edinburgh Fringe

Clips from Dance Marathon, Castle Rocks Breakdance and Enclosure 99 - Humans

Dance Marathon. Award-winning Canadian theatre collective, bluemouth inc. invite you to take part in this four-hour endurance test of a show. Strap on your number, pull on some comfy shoes and start dancing. Based on the competitions born out of…

Edinburgh Fringe 2011 for a Fiver - Dance

Cut-price tickets for some of the most exciting dance shows at the Fringe

Arnica 9CH. A warts and all description of what lies behind the on-stage polish and seemingly perfect body of a professional dancer. The Ballet Ruse. Dressed in white tutus and clutching pint glasses, two dancers take a tongue in cheek look at the…

Dance trilogy Re-Triptych journeys from Tibet to China at 2011 EIF

Shen Wei piece features music of Ani Choying Dolma and John Tavener

Re – (i) Shen Wei was standing in a record store in New York City when he felt the power of Tibetan spirituality. Despite having made three trips to the region, exploring its temples, it was not until he returned home to America that the music for Re…

Siobhan Davies Dance: Rotor

Experimental cross-artform dance from nine commissioned artists

‘I hate the word inspiration,’ says Siobhan Davies. Which may seem ironic, given how inspirational she has been to budding young dancers and choreographers over the years. But for Davies, inspiration implies a light bulb moment, when something just…

Pilrig Park School: Time

Dance piece from Edinburgh school for 11-18-year-olds with learning needs

It’s a fact of life that audiences at the average school show will be comprised solely of the performers’ nearest and dearest. Unless, that is, your reputation precedes you – which is exactly what has happened to Pilrig Park, a secondary school for…

Tom Pritchard: As Yet Untitled

The Arches' associate artist-in-residence looks forward to a new improvisational collaboration

For most performers it’s the stuff of nightmares – finding yourself centre stage with no knowledge of script or steps. For dancer and choreographer Tom Pritchard, however, it’s the ideal scenario. Currently associate artist at The Arches, Pritchard is…

Edinburgh International Festival 2011 IN festival membership scheme

EIF and The List deal for half-price tickets, events and freebies

Edinburgh International Festival - in association with The List magazine - are offering members of an innovative and exclusive membership scheme a whole host of half-price tickets, event passes and freebies for the 2011 Festival season. Membership to…

Choreographer of the month: Wayne McGregor

The Random Dance choreographer discusses recent piece ENTITY

What made you want to become a choreographer? ‘Initially watching John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever and Grease! I was eight years old and ballet and contemporary dance were not on my horizon at all. I didn’t have any opportunity to do those styles…

Festival of Museums set for nationwide celebration of Scotland’s culture in May 2011

Music, storytelling and period fashion among highlights of new festival

From the Groam House Museum in Ross-shire and Portsoy Bothy in Banffshire, to the Annan Museum in Dumfries and Galloway, the Festival of Museums features an eclectic and colourful range of concerts, talks, workshops, performances and exhibitions taking…

Preview - Compagni S'Poart: Na Grani

French choreographer Mickaël Le Mer to present his latest work at Glasgow's Tramway

One of the dance world’s many attributes is its ability to cross the language barrier unscathed. Dancers let their bodies, rather than their mouths, do the talking – a form of communication that needs no translation. Instead, dance has its own language…

Tramway Family Day: Alice in Wonderland

The Glasgow arts venue celebrates Lewis Carrol's most famous creation

When young Alice sips from a bottle marked ‘drink me’ in Lewis Carroll’s well-loved tale, Alice in Wonderland, a remarkable change occurs. Which is one of the reasons the team at Tramway was inspired to base its latest Family Day around this most…

Barrowland Ballet: A Conversation with Carmel

Family gatherings – for some they’re the highlight of the year, for others they need a health warning. Inspired by her own get togethers, and those of others, choreographer Natasha Gilmore has co-created A Conversation with Carmel, a birthday bash for a…

Choreographer Richard Alston takes part in our Q&A ahead of his appearance at Glasgow's Theatre Royal

Richard Alston Dance Company will be in Glasgow this May, performing Alston's 1990 work Rough Cut alongside the Hoagy Carmichael-inspired Shuffle it Right and the Prokofiev-inspired Out of the Strong. He answers some of our questions on his work.